Forget "Sex and the City". Welcome to "Booze and the Valley"! DISCLAIMER: No names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Setsubun

Setsubun, or "seasonal division", is a festival celebrated in Japan on February 3rd or 4th. For many centuries, the people of Japan have been performing rituals with the purpose of chasing away evil spirits at the start of spring. Around the 13th century, it became a custom to drive away evil spirits by the strong smell of burning dried sardine heads. This isn't popular anymore, but a few people may still decorate their house entrances with fish heads and holy tree leaves to deter evil spirits from entering. Now people throw roasted beans around their houses and temples and shrines. They shout "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" This means "Devils out, happiness in!"

Why the fuku am I telling you this?? Because I promised Kelley that I would schedule an exorcism at her house last Sunday, and I never got around to it. Do you think it's coincidence that she's got all this fuku'd stuff going on and on, and today and tomorrow just happen to be Setsbun? This girl needs some serious sage smudging and bean tossing right now! She's got drama going on around her, and it's getting to the point of comical. To me. Not to her. So I'm telling the energy around her, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" "Back off, bad mojo! And let the Caribou White Chocolate Mocha goodness in!"

*side note...i totally plagiarized that first paragraph. i'm on like my 6th beer, bored, and stumbled across this holiday on my "reason to drink" gadget on my blog. (not that i need a reason to drink, but it comes in handy) who knew that gadget would become educational?? so i googled it, and had a blog inspiration. so say a prayer for kelley...the girl who said honestly, "Gin and tonic? Is there vodka in that?" we heart you, kel.